We are here to support
your needs. If you have questions are related to workouts,
meets, events, goal setting, and other swimming related needs,
please contact your swimmer's coach or Coach Tim. Below the
coaches is a list of parents who dedicated a lot of time to the
program and helping families with various questions. Please feel
free to look below and one of us will help you. If you don't know
who to ask, ask Coach Tim! coachtim@swimrays.com,
803-817-7665

Coaching Staff

Timothy W Conley

Head Coach & Branch Director

Tim Conley was named Head Coach of the Rays in May of 2013. Tim came to the Rays from YSSC in Greenville/Spartanburg where he was for 9 years. In those 9 years Tim was named Age Group Coach of the Year by the coaches of South Carolina 7 times. He was not only the first age group coach to receive the honor in back to back seasons, but 5 years in a row. In 9 years Tim and his colleagues at YSSC took the team from 75 swimmers in 2004 to 475+ swimmers currently. The team is nationally ranked in all levels of competition from Age Group to Senior. His impact upon the teams he has worked for and the entire state has been felt at every meet his swimmers attend. Tim is a passionate coach who cares deeply about each and every swimmer he has the opportunity to work with. He prides himself on getting to know the swimmers both in the water and out. His attention to stroke technique and his ability to challenge young athletes mentally and physically has earned him the respect of swimmers and parents. Not one to EVER sit down on pool deck, Tim breaths electric energy into the Rays program. Tim has been a part of numerous South Carolina Zone Teams as both an asst and head coach. He was the age group chair for the board at South Carolina Swimming for 4 years and is currently serving as the Coaches Rep for the SC Swimming Board of directors.

Tim hails from Drexel Hill, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. Tim graduated from Shippensburg University with a degree in accounting. While attending college, Tim coached the Chambersburg YMCA and was the Head Coach of the James Buchanan HS. Tim is devout fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, and sometimes the Sixers. Tim, his wife Katie, and their new son Charlie enjoy spending time with their poochs, Sophie and Missy.

Katie M Wright

Head Age Group Coach & Program Director

Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina,
Coach Katie Wright (formally Katie Bayag) moved
around a bit because of her father’s work. She has lived in
Des Moines, Iowa; Holly Springs, and Raleigh, North Carolina. With
every move, her passion and love for swimming continued to
grow. Katie and her sister started swimming for the RAYS
when their family moved to Rock Hill in July 2005. After graduating
from Northwestern High School in 2007, she attended Wingate
University. Katie swam for two years with the Wingate
Bulldogs, NCAA Division II. While at Wingate she was an
all-conference performer. In 2008, she was a member of the
conference champion 400 Free and Medley relay teams.

After completing two years at Wingate, she transferred to the
College of Charleston in 2009. She graduated from the College of
Charleston in May 2012 with a degree in Arts Management.

Coach Katie began her coaching career in high school
as a summer assistant coach at Rock Hill Country Club. During her
five years in college, Katie dedicated her time and
sharing her love for the sport as a head coach in the Metrolina
(summer) League. She recently joined the RAYS coaching staff in
September 2012, as the Junior and Bronze coach. Katie is
excited about the future of the RAYS program and beginning a new
life with her husband, Blake Wright.

Lynn M Williams

Asst Senior Coach - Pre-Senior 1 & 2

Coach Lynn was the founding coach of the RAYS when the team was formed in 1988, and served as the head coach for the next 25 years until 2013. Prior to that time, she was the Aquatics Director and Head Swim Coach at the Leroy Springs Recreation Complex in Fort Mill. She began her coaching career in Kershaw, South Carolina as a summer league coach. Lynn’s experience includes 1992 S.C. Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year, two-time South Carolina Swimming Zone Team Assistant Coach, and one time South Carolina Swimming Head Zone Coach. Lynn has coached and taught at all levels of swimming from beginners to Junior National Qualifiers and Zone finalists.

Coach Lynn has announced that she is stepping aside as head coach effective May 31, 2013. She has been blessed with a new grandson this past spring, and this will allow her to enjoy more time with her family and especially her grandson. She is working with Coach Tim for a smooth transition and she is excited for the continued growth and success of the RAYS. She will continue to be on deck as coach of our Gold and Silver groups. Lynn is a native of Kershaw, South Carolina and lives in Fort Mill with her husband Tom. Their grown children, C.C. and Griffen, are former members of the RAYS team.

Courtney S Harrison

Age Group Coach - Electric Rays

Courtney Harrison started her swimming career at the age of 6 as a member of her summer league team. She began her competitive career at the age of 10 swimming for Team Greenville and from the ages of 12-18 swam for Y-Spartaquatics in Spartanburg, SC. In addition to being a member of 10 Y-National Championship teams, Courtney was also a top 8 finisher in multiple events. She later continued her swimming career as a member of the Georgia Southern Eagles NCAA Division I team where she achieved All-Conference awards, was school record holder and conference champion in the 200 Breast. The highlights of Courtney’s swimming years were qualifying for Speedo Junior Nationals in Irvine, CA and Indianapolis, IN, and more recently, attending Winter Nationals in Austin, TX. After 3 years with the Eagles, Courtney transferred to Winthrop University to continue her studies in Nutrition and Dietetics to complete her goal of becoming a Registered Dietician. She began her coaching experience with the Taylors, SC YMCA as head of the WAVES program for youth swimmers. Later, she worked the last 4 years as head coach for a summer league team in Greenville SC as well as an assistant with Team Greenville in the spring of 2014. Courtney is looking forward to being a part of the RAYS team and seeing what the future has in store!

Ashley L Ivey

Age Group Coach - Atlantic Rays

After beginning her swimming career at age 7 at Leroy Springs
Complex in Fort Mill, Ashley originally joined the
RAYS as a swimmer in 2000. She first began coaching when she
was 15 at the Rock Hill Country Club, then went on
to work with Charlotte Avenue's CYSL summer team and an
intra-association team at the Aquatics Center. In high
school, she was a USA Swimming Scholastic
All-American and a member of the RAYS Y-National
Team. After graduating from Fort Mill in 2007, Ashley
went on to swim for College of Charleston's NCAA Division I
team. While in college, she began coaching with RAYS in the
summer. She graduated in 2011 with her degree in Special
Education. She has taught in Columbia for the past three years, but
has now moved back to the area to teach at Kinard Elementary in
Clover, SC. Ashley is extremely excited to be back on deck on
a regular basis!

Ashley teaching background mixed with the swimming background is
a recipe for a great age group coach. Her patience and attention to
detail is going to be a great addition to the Atlantic Rays Group.

Kristin Martin

Age Group Coach - Mini-Rays Coordinator

Kristin grew up in Charlotte where she met her husband Joe. During their marriage they had moved out of the area which during that time she had three children all boys. When the oldest son asked her if he could swim I immediately took him to the nearest Y that had a team. That is where it all began. With that team just starting up the head coach needed another coach and that is where Kristin stepped in. That was 8 years ago. Since then they have moved back to the area. Kristin is entering her 6th year with the RAYS. With her love for children and attention to detail as she teaches the MINIs brings joy to all around her. Kristin now lives in Fort Mill where she is a substitute teacher.

Coach Kris Martin's attention to the DETAILS in the sport of swimming and putting her loving and caring spin on it for our Mini-Rays is what establishes a great foundation and love for the sport of swmming!

Holly B Hirsch

Age Group Coach - Mini Rays

Holly Hirsch is a former RAYS swimmer, and she is so excited to start coaching for the team she grew up on. She started swimming for RAYS in 2001, when the team was still called PAC. After graduating from Fort Mill High School in 2009, Holly went on to swim for Georgia Southern University during her first year of college. She then transferred to Clemson University her second year of college and started doing triathlons. She competed for Clemson's triathlon club for the remainder of her college career, which also rekindled her love of swimming (and new love of multisport). After 5 short years of college, Holly graduated from Clemson in May 2014 with a degree in human nutrition.

Holly started coaching in high school for the Rock Hill Country Club (despite being from Fort Mill), she coached there for 3 years. Since that time she has been teaching swim lessons every summer, both stroke instruction and learning to swim. This past summer she taught a handful of 4 year olds how to swim along with a few other younger and older aged children. Holly is starting as a new coach for the RAYS in September 2014, and she is very excited to see how the team has grown in the time she has been gone!

Jonathan L Faile

Dryland & Nutrition Coach

I graduated in May of 2014, with a degree in Kinesiology. I am a certified Personal Trainer through AAAI/ISMA. I am also a certified spin instructor as well as certified in First Aid/CPR. My passion is to help people achieve their desired fitness goals. I also want to help make sure that everyone is performing different exercises properly to help create a safe environment, but also help people enjoy fitness and strive for them to become a healthier individual. I am also a Personal Trainer at the YMCA facilities at both the Lake Wylie and Clover Branches where I teach multiple group fitness classes and spin classes.

Cindy VanBuskirk

Age Group / Senior Coach

Primary Groups: Coach Cindy does not have a primary group and fills in when needed by the Coaching Staff

Cindy originally joined the RAYS coaching staff in 2005, and has coached various levels for the team from age group to being a very successful interim senior Coach! She is head coach of the Tega Cay breakers in the summer Metrolina Swim League from 2001-2013. She swam competitively from the age of 8 through high school in Waterloo, Iowa. She participated in YMCA, AAU, and high chool swimming. Cindy is a graduate of Ia Stat University where she majored in Elementary Education. She is a competitive tennis player but her number one love is swimming! Cindy and her husband, Jamie, are the parents of three children, Alex and twins Julia and Sam, all of whom are now in college.

The RAYS are beyond fortunate to have Coach Cindy on staff to help out when needed. She provides an extensiveness amount of swimming knowledge to an already great staff!

Susan R Snyder

Age Group / Senior Coach

Primary Groups: Coach Sue does not have a primary group and fills in when needed by the Coaching Staff

Sue has been coaching with the RAYS since 2002, and she is also the head coach for the Northwestern High School swim team and the head coach for the Rock Hill Country Club swim team in the summer Metrolina Swim League. Sue is a Greenville native and a graduate of Clemson University, where she was a member of the crew team. Sue is a science teacher at Northwestern High School. She lives in Rock Hill with her husband, Zach, who is a teacher and coach at South Pointe High School, their son Jonah, and their cats.

Sue is another coach that the Rays use to fill in when needed. Sue brings electric energy and a strong passion for the sport that is unmatched and is contagious for the kids she gets the opportunity to work with!